Walk This Way: 3D Printing Drives New Advancements in Foot Orthotics

Patients become more independent, increasingly mobile, and highly
active with 3D printing

VALENCIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Millions of people worldwide are impacted by debilitating foot pain,
making it difficult to accomplish such daily activities as climbing
stairs or taking a walk. Enter 3D printing. Stratasys Direct
Manufacturing is now collaborating with Peacocks Medical Group, a
leading medical equipment supplier and creator of Podfo orthotics, to
maximize 3D printing for large-scale production of custom orthotics. As
one of the world's largest 3D printing and advanced manufacturing
service providers, Stratasys Direct is giving millions of new patients
access to life-changing orthotics - offering much needed pain relief and
improvements in mobility.

The 'Podfo Ghost' model pictured above is lightweight and designed for control at the rear foot and comfort and compliance through the midfoot. (Photo: Business Wire)

Foot orthotics is a large and growing market - with analysts
estimating the insole segment reaching $3.5 billion by 2020.
Conventional manufacturing processes require long lead times and are
unable to cost-effectively produce advanced design elements - further
creating barriers-to-adoption. Aided by an additive manufacturing
technique known as Laser Sintering, the Podfo line fills this void with
a comfortable, tough, lightweight and thin orthoses customized to each
patient's prescription and footwear. Advanced 3D printing technology
enables creation of complex geometries and includes varying features
within a single device - eliminating top-covers, glued-on pads or foams
typically accompanying conventional methods.

"Solving tough design challenges and stimulating innovation are
hallmarks of our customers' success," said Greg Reynolds, Vice President
of Additive Manufacturing at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. "Podfo is a
perfect example of how millions around the world can now experience
life-changing impacts made possible by 3D printing."

The advanced design freedom enabled by 3D printing ensures Podfo can
achieve new levels of customization, creating accurately fitted foot
orthotics with individually selected areas of control and flexibility.
In Nylon 11, Podfo has a material perfectly suited to meet thin and
lightweight functionality requirements. Material durability is tested to
millions of cycles - ensuring designs retain optimum effectiveness over
years of use.

"In a field like medicine where customization is key, our work with
Podfo perfectly exemplifies how 3D printing produces highly specific
solutions to improve a patient's quality of life," said Scott Rader,
General Manager of Medical Solutions at Stratasys. "We're putting the
power of 3D printing to work with Podfo - delivering medical solutions
that significantly improve clinical outcomes of the most complex foot
ailments."

"Backed by an unmatched global footprint and ecosystem, Stratasys Direct
Manufacturing gives us a virtually unlimited global manufacturing
platform fueled by 3D printing. That's a huge competitive advantage for
us," said Steve Cook, Business Development Director at Podfo.

Stratasys Direct Inc.,dba Stratasys Direct Manufacturing,
is an indirect subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), the 3D
printing and additive manufacturing solutions company. Stratasys Direct
Manufacturing is one of the world's largest providers of 3D printing and
advanced manufacturing services utilizing the latest technologies and
decades of experience. With a broad range of additive and conventional
manufacturing services, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing assists companies
at all stages of product development to bring better products to the
market faster. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing has more than 500
employees across six manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Online at: www.stratasysdirect.com.

About Stratasys:

For more than 25 years,Stratasys
Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force and dominant
player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing - shaping the way
things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot,
Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical
markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The
company's solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and
manufacturing flexibility - reducing time-to-market and lowering
development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys
subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the Stratasys
ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide
range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct
Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; and the
Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable
files for free designs. With more than 2,700 employees and 1,200 granted
or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more
than 30 technology and leadership awards. Visit us online at: www.stratasys.com
or http://blog.stratasys.com/,
and follow us on LinkedIn.

Stratasys is a registered trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and/or its
subsidiaries or affiliates.